Kuat
NV
Bike Rack

Product Description

With a front and rear ratchet system, hitch lock, integrated cable lock, and a built-in repair stand for pre-ride prep or post-ride cleanup, it is a fully loaded stunner. And you’ll look smooth loading and unloading with its easy-to-use hand-tight cam system. Storage is simple with the lever action pivot for rapid folding, tilting, and hiding.

While I was wandering around in the desiccating heat of the Outdoor Demo portion of InterBike 2009, I came upon the kuat Innovation’s booth, in which they were showing off their very trick NV bike rack. Of course, what also caught my eye was the female mannequin, which was overtly well endowed, Brick House! The kuat marketing scheme was something more along the lines of ‘Nice Rack’. Continue reading →

User Reviews

Weaknesses: Low point is the adjusting knob, clamps wear fast. Not real solid at the hitch. Cant match keys.

Bottom Line:

Bought this rack for one main reason, its weight. I wanted a 4 bike rack for our Suby that didn't weight a ton. It is almost 40lbs lighter than is any other 4 bike full wheel tray.

Assembly was not bad at all and fit and finish was top notch. We put miles on our racks and our first outing to Sea Otter I noticed a lot of wear on the wheel clamp. I hope this part is a replaceable item.

The next issue I noticed is its lowest point of the rack is a knob that takes the rattle of the rack. Its now chunked to heck and Im a very carful dude but some gas stations are just deep. That and it still wiggles. That whole design is much better on the T2. Just a simple bolt that is rock solid. I think Kuat got a little too fancy. Remember the saying "KISS" keep it simple s......

Then there is the funny little adapter to run a 20-24" wheel. Its not like the T2 that you can just put any tire in. But they also only give you an adapter for one bike. It seems like a ton of money for a rack that needs options to run a bmx bike on?

With about 1500 miles on it and the whole thing was loose. A bunch of the bolts had settled in I guess. If you do a lot of excursions you may want to look too the T2 or Yak for the steel construction. If it cracks or breaks almost anyone can weld it. and they just seams a bit more solidly built. I have run off road for a ton of miles with my T2 and it was solid. This one I don't think I would trust on my Jeep in the back country or fire roads.

There is no adjustment of spacing between the rails so I have to drop seats for fit where the T2 you can adjust the in and out of the rails. Oh ya and you cant re-key the locks? So if you get the add-on be prepared to have two keys. All in all Im happy with the rack but it does have its flaws. Unfortunately the flaws are kinda big and so is the price.

It is by far the best looking rack out there. But looking past that......its not perfect.

Strengths: • Looks sooo sweet (Love the black and Chrome)
• Comes with a work stand
• Integrated Cable lock
• Hand crank hitch mount tightens hitch to vehicle for virtually no movement
• The bikes load so easily
• Tilt down feature allows me to access the rear cargo area with bikes still on the rack.

Weaknesses: • Initial cost
• Weight
• Cable locks a tad short
• No way to lock work stand

Bottom Line:

I love this rack. I’ve mounted both my road and mountain bike with no issues or worries. Really solidly built. Could not be happier with my purchase!

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by
Derek Vanderhorst
a Cross Country Rider

Date Reviewed: May 30, 2014

Strengths: Looks good

Weaknesses: Falls apart

Bottom Line:

Took my car thru the car wash today an the rack broke I to prices and got caught in the brushes and scratched my car all up. I called and spoke with jay at kuat and he told me it's not a warranty issue and I need to order replacement

Strengths: *Secures bikes in seconds safely and soundly.
* Relatively easy mechanism for folding up, flat or downward for liftgate access.
* Comes with a workstand!!!!!!
* Bikes load in seconds!
* Integrated lock allows you to secure bikes in seconds
* My understanding is the newest version of these racks have the same key for the included locking pin as well as the integrated cable locks.
* Beautiful product!!!!!
* Integrated hitch mounting wedge allows you to quickly take all the slop out of the interface.

Weaknesses: These are nitpicks rather than full fledged weaknesses
* The locking cable is not long enough to thread through the frames of both bikes. If you're leaving your bikes outside a hotel at night on this rack, you'll probably want to use an additional cable.
* There is no locking "loop" on the Traildock stand. That's a $90 piece of hardware and deserves some protection from casual pilfering. Perhaps a locking skewer would do the job.

Bottom Line:

My only previous experience with racks was cheapo trunk racks. In most cases they rendered my trunk useless as most of them relied on sitting on the rear bumper. They were also a pain to mount securely. On top of it ... mounting more than one bike to these things required bungies, foam blocks and towels just to keep the bike from rubbing each other's paint off. I'd had it.

I looked around and Yakima/Thule tray racks were famous for being expensive, heavy and of generally poor qualify. I stumbled upon Kuat and discovered what I needed.

The product does not disappoint. I do wish I could add an additional single rack to this for 3rd bike for my 1.25" rack. However, Kuat only offers a bike add on to their 2" version. If I had it to do over, I would seriously consider One-Up. But the Kuat is on it's 2nd car and I'm still very pleased with this rack. I guess I'll just have to get one of Kuat's roof racks to carry a 3rd bike. Who has room for 4 people's gear in their car anyway?

Weaknesses: Rack has developed a lot of "play" after six months - moves in the transport and storage positions. Also a bit of play in the receiver hitch. High price.

Bottom Line:

I had a Thule T2 and it did not play nice with my Niner Rip9. It also took a lot of adjusting to get bikes to fit properly without rubbing on each other. Also, my wife could work the Thule and it was heavy and ugly. Two owners of the Enve recommended the rack. At first, I was extremely happy. I get a lot of compliments. I even bought the add on. The problem is that it is now very loose after six months. The bikes are bouncing all over the place. The problem is the metal they use is too soft and it has rounded off, so the rack has a lot of sloppiness the vertical (storage) or horizontal (transport) positions. It also shakes like a jonesing crack addict when I move it from one position to the other - pretty embarrasing and does not instill confidence. I've contacted Kuat and waiting for an answer. For this price, I shouldn't have these problems.

Weaknesses: Built-in locking cable is short, can be tricky to get both wheels + frame secure. With two bikes I can't secure the front wheels.

Bottom Line:

I have rarely been so completely impressed with a piece of equipment. It does its job very well with no annoyances, feels solid and secure, and looks good too.

I was initially interested in a Kuat rack because I liked the aluminum Sherpa model, figuring it would be easy to move around, etc. I read though that long wheelbase bikes are not recommended for it, and my XL 29ers are all over the recommended max for it. Enter the NV. I had used a roof rack for a few years and I wanted a hitch rack instead. My priorities were that it be easy to load, survive being left on the car outdoors, and not get in the way of opening the hatch or seeing out the back. I use it 2-3 times a week, mostly with 1 bike.

It's super easy to load & unload. Swing the arm open, put the bike on, push the arm down, thread on the rear wheel strap... done. Unloading is just as easy. Locking it is really easy since the lock cables stow in the trays, secured by magnets. Slide them out when you need them. The cables are pretty short, and it can be a tight fit getting all of the parts of a bike locked. It took a few tries to work out the right way for one bike. Two bikes, you probably can't get the cable through all four wheels and both frames, so another cable would be handy if you were leaving bikes on for a while. For me, it's easy enough that I do it every time I park in public, and it gives me enough peace of mind. When I bought it, Thule and Yakima were charging extra for cables and locks on their equivalent racks, so it was a bonus.

The hitch bar has a built-in snugging device that keeps it from rattling. Works great, I would have bought something to do this separately if it wasn't included. The bar for the 1.25" model I have has an S-curve in it to get the racks up above the muffler and out of the hot exhaust. There's plenty of clearance on my Subaru.

It has survived the weather with little or no discoloration and rust. I'd seen this on other brands of hitch racks, and on the plastic parts of my roof rack, so I was concerned about leaving it on the car outside all the time. No problems at all.

It does not obstruct the out-the-back view (like some of the hanging-style hitch racks do). I can just see the top of the work stand so I can tell that I didn't leave it down. I do have to tilt it open it to open the hatch, but it looks like I could move the hitch back about 1/2" and it would clear. With bikes on, it tilts down and the hatch opens fine. Of course, this is going to depend on car & trailer hitch, but it works on my Impreza. The quick release lever to open it is nice. I would like to see something like a foot lever so it could be opened & closed one-handed.

I have found the work stand useful trail-side. It's cool to have it and it works. I don't use it every ride, though.

The whole package is well thought out and goes together nicely. I recommend it highly. I was willing to spend towards the higher end, but I was concerned that it would stand up to regular use and weather, and keep my bikes safe. I haven't been disappointed and I think it was money very well spent.

4 chilis for value: let's be honest, there are cheaper racks out there. However, there are several features that I would have bought separate tools for that work better because they're integrated (anti-wobble, lock).
5 chilis for functionality, I love it.

Strengths: Very solid and well engineered hitch rack. Took twenty minutes to build and install it. Fits nice and tight in my 2" hitch. Takes about 15 seconds to put a MTB bike on the rack. I would have no problem taking this on any road-dirt or pavement. Hitch and security locks are very good. The quality of workmanship and materials is quite impressive.

Weaknesses: Not really a weakness..the work stand has no way to lock it in place to prevent theft.

Bottom Line:

Shopped around quite a bit for a new rack and found the NV is really impressive. The cost is a bit steep but the stand is such good quality it's worth it.

Weaknesses: The 1 1/4" option that i have is a little flexy with 2 downhill bikes on it, but totally fine and the best option based on what is available today. If the option is there on your vehicle definitely go with the 2". Other than that the product is excellent.

Bottom Line:

Definitely a great rack, I was suspect of the bike stand but it has actually been pretty useful. Rack is much lighter than Thule T2 and getting bikes on and off is a breeze. Customer service is very responsive and helpful.

Weaknesses: None they found all the neg with t2 and holdup racks and made it 10 x better plus extras

Bottom Line:

If ypu spend good money for ggod products than there is no other option.

If you can afford to buy $ 3-10k bike you can afford to spend a hundred or 2 dollars more for a superior bike rack. Its stable solid and secure . The locking system and optins are awesome.
Bikes dont move at all!

Strengths: Light, solid, great fit and finish, lifetime warranty, responsive customer service (via e-mail and telephone), built in cable lock security (that passes through the rear wheels and triangles of my two 29er's), trail dock is great for wrenching outside/away from home, no creaky noises or whistling air flow when driving with rack folded up or in use, easy to put bikes on and take off and easy to understand assembly instructions.

Strengths: Well made. Holds bikes with authority and the wheel clamp protects paint and CF frames. Solid attachment to the hitch. Smart engineering to create the tilt providing access to the hatch without removing bikes. Great locking feature for both hitch and bikes. No wind noise/diminished mpg (roof rack) and much better quality that your typical hatch rack. Folds up to give the driver more room when traveling without bikes.

I can't say why the previous reviewer had finish problems. I have mine for more than a year and taken a couple of cross country trips that put well over 2K miles and see no problems with the finish whatsoever. That reviewer never states whether he/she sought advice or redress from the manufacturer to determine whether it was a flawed unit.

Weaknesses: It's well-built and heavy, which can make it a bit of work connecting it to the hitch. I recommend help for that part. Otherwise no complaints. It is expensive, but the build quality is very high in my opinion. Only carries two bikes.

Bottom Line:

Having used it for over 1 year and several thousand miles I consider this to be a top notch product. I'll soon be taking it on another long trip and hope that it continues to function as well as it has thus far. The only better approach would be owning a large enough vehicle to store the bikes inside and away from the elements--which is considerably more expensive and fuel inefficient than attaching a hitch rack.

Weaknesses: HORRIBLE Powder-coating! I have only used this rack for a few months, but the coating is already blasted off of the main stringer which is inserted into the hitch receiver. Obvious steel corrosion. Horribly disappointed.

Bottom Line:

I ... REALLY ... wanted to like this rack. I was excited to see a new company offer something unique and different. Unfortunately, I am now left with a virtually brand new rack that looks like it's been abused for a decade or more. I will NOT support Kuat again.

Strengths: Very light, excellent engineering, internal lock, bikes are fastened by clamping of the wheel not the frame (I have a carbon road bike in addition to my mtbs) and this was a top selling feature for me. Like how there is a screw handle to tighten the connection of the hitch to the rack. Also like the fact that all locks are INCLUDED with the rack unlike Yakima and Thule.

Weaknesses: Took a little while to put the thing together. A cardboard jig/tray would have helped to align the bolts between the trays and the main hitch...not really a big deal but trying to balance the hitch while screwing the trays in can be a little tricky.

Bottom Line:

I am so glad I bought this rack. Shanyne at MobileHitch in BC was excellent to deal with. Free shipping, no provincial tax and a great price made this a no brainer. Still waiting for an Ontario dealer to get back to me with the price of the unit (6 weeks ago!). Looked at the 1UP USA rack which was a similiar concept but the import costs (they don't have a Canadian distributor) made this prohibitively expensive.

So far the rack has exceed my expectations and I would highly recommend it.

Strengths: Light weight, quality build, built in bike lock, bike repair stand, and the built in hitch tightener. Works very well with a 29er. Aluminum construction which makes the rack light and it wont rust like the other steel racks.

Weaknesses: The intergrated bike lock cables could be alittle longer. Price is aliitle steep. But so are my bikes.

Bottom Line:

If your looking for a good quality rack thats built to with stand the elements the Kuat NV is the rack. Constructed from aluminum makes the rack light weight for easy installation and removal. The built in sevice stand is a very nice feature to have when repairs might be needed at the trail head. The bike lock is also a nice feature for locking up your investments. The rack also comes with attachments for the arms to accomodate a 20" tire as well. And it comes with the hitch lock. And the rack is backed by a LIFETIME WARRANTY. Overall the rack is very nice and it looks good!!!

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